Elemental Guardians
by AznSage
Summary: [1x2, 3x4, 5xM] In a land far away, there lay five keys to the survival of humanity, the elemental guardians. As a new age comes to pass, so must the old guardians. And when the new age is borne, five guardians must be borne as well...
1. Prologue

Title: Elemental Guardians   
Author: AznSage   
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.   
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4   
Archived: FF.net. If you wanna archive, ask and it's always a yes.   
Rating: PG-13   
Note: This fic was written a pretty long time ago, but I never bothered to post it. After lots of poking by a friend, I'm posting it...>.>() So, a new part will probably be posted every one or two weeks (granted that I remember). It's long so...this might take a while. ^^;; 

Prologue 

In a land far away, there lay five keys to the survival of humanity, the elemental guardians. As a new age comes to pass, so must the old guardians. And when the new age is borne, five guardians must be borne as well. Only their powers are unknown to those unaware of the legend. And the world is turned into the turmoil of war and chaos without their balance. The sands of time grow thin on the old age, and a new one comes to be. And five boys are born, with the power to control the five most powerful forces ever known to man, each emblazened with an unmistakable symbol on their bodies. 

Unless they fail in finding each other and are lost in the chaos of war as well. 

Only time will tell. 

End Prologue 


	2. Part I

Title: Elemental Guardians   
Author: AznSage   
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.   
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4   
Archived: FF.net. If you wanna archive, ask and it's always a yes.   
Rating: PG-13 

Part I 

"And so, we send you, Prince Heero, out on your coming-of-age journey. Find the power you seek and return home safely. Fare thee well prince." 

"Don't worry, I'll come back in one piece." A boy adorning red silk embroidered with gold mounted his horse quickly and began to ride off. He had a long sword tied loosely to his left waistband and several other pouches attached to his waist. Almost immediately, the distance between himself and the town was of a considerable amount. 

In the crowd of many cheering peasants, one old man stood out. "Godspeed, prince. For if you knew the truth, you may not accept it." The old wizard walked back to his lab purposefully, wondering how to deal with revealing to his young protege that he was an elemental guardian. 

***

"Goodbye everyone! It was great to know you all! Good luck with your lives!" Duo Maxwell waved goodbye to the people at the church and orphanage where he stayed while he was younger. But he was fifteen now, it was time to leave and find meaning for his existence in the world. 

"Goodbye Duo! And don't forget to come visit sometime!" 

"I won't forget!" The long haired boy yelled back from the deck of the ship. It was leaving harbor and it was taking Duo on a new adventure, a quest of meaning. A quest leading to his ultimate fate. 

***

"Come on Trowa! Your act with the lions is up next!" Catherine eagerly pulled Trowa towards the curtain to prepare for his upcoming act. The silent boy padded on the soft earth to the center of the stage, with a mask covering half his face. He bowed and commenced his act of acrobatics with his partner, the lion. 

Fear didn't even reach the one eye that was only partially seen by the audience because of his unusual bang. Gracefully landing on one finger on the lion's back, Trowa did a few more flips and jumps to finish off his performance. Then he bowed to the deluge of applause and led the lion offstage with him. 

Proceeding to feed the lion, Trowa laid down on the soft grass to stare at the stars and sighed. _It's so routine here. It just doesn't feel...right. I just know there is something calling upon my soul beyond just this. I can feel it. And I have dreamt about it. A blond boy..._ He sighed again. "Lion-san, what do you think?" 

The lion growled low as it continued to chew its meat. Trowa smirked. 

"Ah, such wise words from such a wise creature." The tall boy sat up from his former position and patted the lion once before walking away. "I guess this is goodbye then. Don't tell Catherine okay?" 

The lion looked at him bewildered. Though not quite fully understanding what his owner was telling him, he nodded ever so slightly. And that was the last he saw of his uni-banged master, a determined boy riding away on a steed, eyes ablaze with searching for the destiny that laid in front of him. 

***

He stared out to nothing in particular, eyes searching and distant. _He's coming, I can feel it..._ The little blond closed his eyes and felt a light zephyr blow by him, playing in his hair and then leaving as soon as it came. He sighed and leaned against the stone that was the castle roof even more so than before. 

"Prince Quatre! There you are! We have been looking all over for you!" 

Quatre blinked out of his daydream, slightly annoyed that he was interrupted. But someone as gentle as he could never be annoyed that easily, no matter how important his previous task was. "What is it?" 

"Your half-brother, the crown prince Heero, has just been sent off on his coming-of-age journey. It is time for yours." Quatre nodded dutifully, following the servant that had been sent to fetch him. 

Afterwards, outside the gates of the town, he mounted on his horse skillfully, with many watching him. He smiled to them, being the socialable person that he was. Then someone unfamiliar walked up to him. 

"My dear prince, you must follow you half-brother." 

Quatre was puzzled. He had never met this strange old man before. "Who are you?" 

"The time for you to know who I am is not now. You must follow the same trail that he takes. It's destiny." He smiled and handed Quatre a small pouch. "Open it when you have caught up to him." 

Still slightly confused, the prince agreed and secured the pouch on his waistband. He rode off, after his half-brother, who was no doubt pushing his horse to the extent and would be impossible to catch up to by now. _Oh well Quatre, guess you just have to try the best you can. You know how Heero gets when he' s got something to do. Always serious._

But he stilled followed the old man's advice and went in that direction. 

***

"Wufei! Wufei! Wufei where are you?" 

One onyx colored eye opened slightly to see who it was. _'Ch. It's only her._ He closed his eye again and continued meditating in the trees. 

Wufei had never been one to be sociable and he liked being alone most of the time. The only other person he could even stand being around, even a little, was his wife, Meiran. He would never admit it but he felt good when he knew she was around to take care of him. He had lost his parents when he was younger and had never felt anything other than contempt from those of his tribe. He was different, they predicted it from birth that he was different. There was power within him that was unknown to them and, being the humans that they were, they feared what they did not know about. 

"Come on Wufei! I want to leave _now_!" He growled low in his voice. After all, he could only take that high pitched screeching up to a certain point. 

"What do you want you weak onna?! I was trying to meditate!" He jumped down from the branch that he was sitting on and tried to conjure up his most angry voice, which was quite impossible at the moment. 

"We're leaving, remember? We have to get to the circus in Soro! They have the best acts and the most adorable animals! I mean, you _are_ taking me, right?" She gave him the best puppy dog eyes look that she could and blinked her lashes a few times. How could Wufei refuse? 

"No." Succinct. And yet a refusal nonetheless. 

"Why you little--!" Meiran jumped on Wufei and tackled him with unexpected force. She tugged him by his right ear and started to drag him off. 

"ONNA!! You will pay for this disgraceful act!" 

***

Night was beginning to fall fast. Heero quickly rode into town. It was a little port town, one that took in ships all the time, bringing in the most fascinating of people and beastmen from all over the world. Deciding on staying at the only inn in town instead of continuing to travel, Heero brought his horse to the stable and began to absent-midendly walk along the broadwalk after checking into the inn. The sea was beautiful, lit up by a light purple tone of its depths and the silver of the moon. 

The prince sighed deeply. He had been sent out on this journey for reasons that were unknown to him. What was one supposed to do for a coming-of-age ceremony if there were no beasts to slay, no enemies to conquer, or no barbarians to subdue? The land of Soro had enjoyed peace for the past decade, under the rule of five strange old men that no one had seen before. And Heero was not about to have anything to do but wander around Soro. Just great. 

Heero took off his red garmet and fluffed it so that it began a pillow-like object. He set it to the ground and began to take in his surroundings. As the prince began to lie down and relax on the sand, a velvety voice caught up to him. "Um…excuse me, but I'm new around here and I've seem to have gotten lost." 

Heero spun around at the intruder and looked at him from head to toe. The boy had a small pack on his back and was adorned in all black, with only a small gold cross protruding from his garb. A long braid of the softest chestnut brown snaked around behind him, moving gently in the wind. And those eyes…the same color as the light that came from the sea. 

The boy cleared his throat to regain Heero's attention. Of course, secretly, he too was admiring the view and didn't mind the amount of time that the prince's preoccupation had brought him. "I can't seem to find the hotel. It's too dark and I really can't see anything. Plus, I'm new in town so that doesn't help." The boy let out a rich laughter that immediately made Heero smile. 

"Here, I'll show you. I'm checked in there as well." He casually got up and picked up his shirt. "By the way, where are you from?" 

"Oh, I'm new in Soro. Came from the kingdom of Elleswood. Duo Maxwell, pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand out in a friendly gesture and was taken aback by the strong grip of the seemingly small boy beside him. 

"Heero. Heero Yuy." He smiled slightly at Duo, not really able to help himself. 

"Wait…where have I heard that name before? Hm…Oh! I got it! You're Heero as in _Prince_ Heero right?" His newfound companion grumbled low and nodded. "Wai~! That's so cool! Man, I haven't even been in this kingdom for an hour and I already know royalty!" Duo grinned brilliantly, his moment only to be spoiled by his stomach's complaints. "Er…heheh…shall we?" He gestured towards the road. 

"Actually, it's this way." Heero said as stoically as he could, trying desperately to contain his laughter at this strange boy who had immediately caught his attention. 

Duo blushed. "Er…I knew that. Just testing you that's all." He then proceeded to follow Heero towards the closest restaurant, braid bouncing happily behind him. 

***

"Oh shit." 

"What's wrong, Duo?" 

"I think I got robbed." Duo began sifting through his large, swollen pants pockets, then continued to look in his bag. "Oh crap! I _did_ get robbed! God dammit! I knew that ship was full of goddamn crooks!" He pouted in the cutest way, very annoyed at the turn of events. 

"That's okay. You can stay in my room." 

Duo lit up immediately. "Really? Thanks!" 

"It's nothing really. I mean, you just came to my kingdom, I wouldn't want you getting a bad impression immediately. Come on, my room's the big one on the second floor." He quickly pushed past the innkeeper and walked to his room. There was nothing special, just your typical hotel room. Only, there was one king sized bed. 

"I'll sleep on the floor. I'm pretty sure that you can just take a buncha the blankets and then make a mattress outta it. I mean, look at how many you got!" 

"No. I'll sleep on the floor. You're my guest. No buts." He moved quickly and efficiently and set up the bed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've been riding a horse all day and would like to soak and relax in the tub out back for a while. See you later." 

"Mind if I join you?" 

***

Trowa had quickly worked his way through the Forest of Glyphs, being that he had grown up in the area, he knew all the secrets behind the symbols of the forest. However, by the time he had reached the other end, his stomach was complaining to him in the most annoying way. He had to make a fire soon so that he could even see where food was available. But Lady Luck had her way. 

"Move and I'll slit your throat." Trowa, who was unarmed at the time could only quietly obey. "Gimme all your money." 

"But, sir, I only have 200 gold on me." 

The thief calculated in his mind. "What kinda idiot carries only 200 gold on them on a journey? Hahahaha!" His condescending laughter rang through the forest. Mistakenly, his knife cut a little into the smooth nape of Trowa's neck. 

"Ah!" Trowa yelled a little loudly in pain. 

"Guess I'll just have to sell you on the black market. You know, guy like you can go for about 3000 gold if sold to right person." 

"I think that's far enough." The thief could feel two sharp daggers cutting into his wrists, the blood spurting out in every direction. 

The hooded figure that had saved Trowa quickly caught the tall boy and proceeded to kill the thief with one slash on the throat. "May the gods have mercy on you." He prayed silently for his fallen enemy. 

"Thanks for saving me. But…who are you?" 

His savior flipped the hood of the garment over, only to reveal bright aquamarine eyes and a sea of beautiful blond hair. "My name is Quatre. Nice to meet you. Are you okay?" 

The uni-banged boy was staring in wonder. _This is the boy, the boy that I keep seeing in my dreams…_ "Yes, I'm fine, but I am a little hungry." 

Quatre smiled back. Thanks to his empathic abilities, he could tell that this boy was the one he had been waiting for. The one. "My campsite is over there. When I heard your footsteps, I put out the fire, afraid that it was an enemy. Come, join me…" The blond looked at him confusedly, then the taller boy caught on. 

"Trowa, Trowa Barton." 

"Aa, what a fine name. Come, join me by the fire, Trowa. There's something I want to ask you." 

End Part I 

Reviews are always appreciated. 


	3. Part II

Title: Elemental Guardians   
Author: AznSage   
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.   
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4   
Archived: FF.net. If you wanna archive, ask and it's always a yes.   
Rating: PG-13 

Part II 

The blond was truly uncertain if it was a good idea to tell Trowa who had thought him to be. What could he do? Just outright say "Oh, pardon me for asking but I believe I've seen you before on the dreamscape. Yes, I'm an empath and I think we're somehow connected." Sure, that would work. 

As he poked the fire worriedly, lost in his own thoughts, he hadn't noticed that Trowa had already begun to set up an appropriate place to sleep. "Oh, going to sleep so soon? By the gods, the Moon hasn't even reached it zenith yet." 

"I have a long day of journeying ahead of me, I wish to sleep soon." 

"Well…I was hoping we could talk for a while, there is something I would like to ask of you." 

"And what is that?" Tact. Ah, how the mind of Trowa works. 

"Well…um…" Quatre was sweating bullets. How _does_ one ask this kind of question? "Wouldyouliketojoinmeonmyjourney?" He mumbled the sentence in one quick breath and averted his gaze from the tall boy. How embarrassing it was for a prince to ask such a thing to someone he barely knew. 

Trowa blinked at the other boy's unexpected bluntness. It had occurred to him that this boy was of notable semblance to the one he saw in his dreams, but he had to be certain. He chuckled dryly at his own thoughts. 

The prince was immediately confused by the turn of events. "What's so funny?" 

The circus performer stopped laughing, but his face still held the amusement and sheer delight from his own thoughts. "So, you see me in your dreams too, huh?" 

Quatre blinked. Well _that_ was certainly unexpected. "Um…how did you know that, Trowa?" 

"It seems that we have more to talk about than I had expected." 

***

"Mmmm…that was _so_ refreshing! We don't have that kinda thing back at the orphanage!" Duo stretched lazily on the large bed and grinned like an idiot. Never had he felt such extreme pleasure from just bathing. 

Heero glared at him. "Would you mind being less open?" The glaring boy was referring to that fact that Duo was basically lying spread eagle, wearing only a towel that barely reached his knees. 

"Oh…whoops, heheh." The long-haired boy laughed sheepishly back at the prince and immediately jumped onto his feet. "Well, I call shotgun on the bathroom!" With that he sprinted into the small room, pulling with him his clothes. 

Heeo sighed. How in the world had he been conned into rooming with _that_ baka? 

A light knock on the door disturbed his thoughts. "Um…excuse me, but it seems that the inn has been overbooked and I'll have to share this room with you, sir." 

Heero nodded. "Well, I don't know how you can fit, sir, because I'm sleeping on the floor and my friend is sleeping on the bed." 

"Aw…that's so sweet! You called me your friend!" Duo had chosen that exact moment to step back into the room and lightly teased Heero on his mannerisms. The prince just glared back at him. 

"Well, then, the only other place to sleep would be the bed sir. And I'm sure your friend would not want to sleep next to a total stranger." 

The same thought crossed through both the boy's minds. Ew. Yuck. No way. 

Resigning to his own horrible fate, the dark-haired boy decided. Sleeping in the same bed as Duo was much better than him sharing it with that old smelly tinker.[1] "Fine, I'll sleep in the bed with Duo." 

The braided boy's eyes visible threw shock in every direction. "You?! Share a _bed_ with me?! As in for the _night_?! Er…" The prince threw him a look that made no room for argument. "Fine! Just…just stay on your side of the bed okay?"Heero nodded and the three guests of the inn climbed into their respective beds. 

It was quiet and peaceful and a perfect mood for sleeping. 

"Geez…Heero! Keep your own leg on _your_ side!" 

Okay, maybe not. 

"It's not my fault! You keep hogging the blankets! I can't help if my legs are tangled in them at the same time!" 

"Come _on_, man! This is NOT funny! It's…it's…disgusting!" 

"No one is going to your side! Just sleep!" 

"But your arm is practically over my crotch!" 

"For the last time, I am _not_ touching you!" 

"Ack! Heero! Cold feet!" 

"Look, shut up or I'm gonna assault you!"[2] 

"Fine!" 

"Fine!" 

Suddenly, the tinker regretted asking for the big room. 

***

"Are we there yet?" 

"No." 

"Are we there yet?" 

"No." 

"Well then, _why_ aren't we there yet, husband?" 

"Because of your insipid comments, wife." 

Wufei and Meiran rode side by side towards their destination, the circus in Soro. It was getting late but they had already stopped once for eating and once for using the bathroom. And Meiran was tired. And when Meiran is tired, Meiran is cranky. _Not_ a pretty scene. 

"Well, with such a useless husband, I didn't expect less. You know, Chang Wufei, your cousin, the strong, smart, and witty man, was matched up for me but for some reason, my parents decided I was more suited for you. Ah, what a mistake it was. Every other man in the clan can control _their_ wife. Why can you not then, Chang Wufei?" 

A vein was visibly popping at the side of his head. "Look, onna, if you are so displeased with your life, then you can go drown in the holy river for all I care. Just be quiet so that I can concentrate on navigating us through this damn forest!" 

"Fine, I guess I'll just go ahead of you then." With that, Meiran gave her horse a light kick on the side and galloped forward at full speed. 

"You stupid girl! You have to wait for your husband!" Wufei proceeded to follow, yelling angry curses and screaming about justice and undignifiable acts. 

***

"So, how'd you sleep?" 

"Not well. You and your stupid braid are very distracting when one is trying to sleep comfortably. Not only do your legs somehow make their way to _my_ side of the bed but your stupid hair also smacked my face twice last night. Twice!" Of course, Heero didn't mention the fact that the stray limbs wrapped around him felt good and the neatly done hair smelled nicely of the most fragrant flowers. 

"Well, my body just has a mind of its own. 'Sides, we're both guys, so no biggy. S'not like you're attracted to me, right?" Duo winked back at the prince and continued his walk down the stairs to breakfast. 

"Of course not! I'm a fucking prince! If I even _liked_ a guy, I'd probably be brainwashed to like whoever the hell they're trying to make me marry!" 

"So how do you stand it?" 

"Stand what?" He was truly confused and his facial expression showed that well. Duo smiled back and noted how cute the prince looked when confused, so different from that usually calm and confident façade. 

"Well, I'm sure being a prince has its ups, but isn't marrying someone you don't even love worth all of that? I mean think about it. Marrying means that this person is gonna be who you see first thing every morning and last thing every night. The person who you will take care of and who will take care of you for the _rest_ of your _life_. The person you're willing to _sacrifice_ _anything_ for. The person you're willing to _die_ for. If you don't love 'em, is it really worth spending the time with them?" 

The dark-haired boy blinked. Never in the all the time that he had known Duo (even though it was only for about twelve hours) had he thought it was possible for him to be so serious. Secretly, he had tagged him as the braided baka. Such important words coming from his mouth. There was definitely more to this boy than meets the eye. This would make an interesting journey… 

The long-haired boy caught sight of his new friend's confusion and immediately tried to break the ice. "Eh-heheheh…uh…never mind what I just said! Heheh, our little secret okay? Don't tell anyone! Uh…well, I'm off!" He immediately began to hightail it for the door when an iron grip stopped him. 

"And just _where_ do you think you're going with no money?" 

"Oh, crap, I had forgot about that." He sighed deeply in defeat. "So? Any ideas?" 

"I'll go where ever you go. That way, you'll have a companion and some money. I case you get in trouble, I can get you out, you know like watch your back. So, deal?" 

"Uh…I guess." Duo was shocked by the sincerity behind the words and began to closely study the prince's face. Immediately, Heero averted his eyes from the questing look from the large violet orbs. Giving up his search for emotion, Duo continued. "Um…shall we?" 

"Let's." The prince got up and began to walk to the door. 

A gruff voice stopped them. "Just _where_ do you think you're going? You haven't paid the bill yet!" The innkeeper gestured with his hands and demanded his payment. But as Heero reached into his pocket, he found that the money purse was gone. 

"K'so." He gave Duo a quick look to quiet down the boy's snickering. "Where's the kitchen, I'm sure we can work our way outta the bill." Quickly following the pointed finger, he turned back one last time. "And _you're_ coming with me." 

"Damn." True to his nature, the braided boy stuck out a tongue good-naturedly at the prince and proceeded to follow him to the kitchen of doom. 

***

"So you're telling me that you're supposed to find your brother, give him that pouch, and that will tell you your destiny?" 

Quatre quickly tucked the small pouch back on his belt and sighed. "Well, I suppose…but there's just something else that I think I am supposed to do…something else I am supposed to follow…something else I see in the future besides that…something else I dream of…" 

"Oh? And that would be?" 

"You." 

Trowa blinked. So it _was_ true. He hadn't merely been seeing things. Quickly regaining his composure, he managed to stutter out. "How…how do you know?" 

"Well, I am empathic and I have always felt the presence of someone wake up a strength in my soul that I never knew existed. Everytime I felt his presence, I felt warmth, strength, courage, security, and…love. May that love be brotherly or otherwise, I don't know. But it is the most I've ever felt in my entire life. I set out on this journey to find my destiny. And I believe you are it." 

The tall boy nodded and smiled. This prince had described everything dead on. Everything he felt, the prince felt as well. Everything he had seen in this prince was true. He was his destiny. He _had_ to follow it. He _had_ to follow _him_. 

End Part II   
[1] Tinkers were people in Merry Ole England who worked with metal. I think. I don't remember, I'll just check Robin Hood later.   
[2] My favorite line from my favorite doujinshi. "Kimi ni Todoke" ("Closer to You") in the W9 doujinshi anthology. Gotta love that. 

Reviews are always appreciated. 


	4. Part III

Title: Elemental Guardians   
Author: AznSage   
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.   
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4   
Archived: FF.net. If you wanna archive, ask and it's always a yes.   
Rating: PG-13 

Part III 

"Great, now we're LOST! Husband, why are you always so incompetent?" Meiran curled her nose in distate of their situation. Wufei and her had gotten lost after she decided to gallop ahead of him, making him have to chase her and lose their position on the map. 

"Be quiet, wife. I'm following the position of the sun to get us back onto more familiar roads. If you hadn't run off, I wouldn't have to do this and take longer than we had already." 

"Well, I'm just supposed to be some stupid girl, so it's not my fault. It would be my husband's fault for not being able to teach me properly, wouldn't it?" Her condescending tone angered Wufei further and they started to argue. 

If squirrels could sweatdrop, they probably would have by now. 

***

Trowa and Quatre talked about their dreams well into the morning. The prince had pried a considerable amount of information from the stranger and had found him quite intriguing. He had almost accidentally let his own identity slip when he was speaking about himself, but quickly caught the mistake and saved himself the trouble of having to explain what he was doing out here. 

The morning rays caught Trowa's hair playfully and made it look a beautiful auburn color, whipping it gently in the air. Quatre couldn't help but smile from his seat on the mossy ground as the taller boy stood up to stretch his limbs. 

"We should probably get going. It's morning already. I'm sure that you have somewhere to go?" Trowa smiled at the blond and questioned. 

"Iie. I go where you go." The prince found himself surprised for answering in such a way, but it was true and was the most appropriate answer. 

Trowa chuckled. "I am honored that you hold me in such high regard, but didn't you say you needed to find your brother?" 

Quatre blinked. He had forgotten about Heero so quickly thanks to his own soul-searching. But he needed to find the other prince as well. Destiny called for it. He smiled quickly in thanks to Trowa for reminding him before getting up and stretching his own limbs. "I suppose so. If you don't have anywhere in particular that you're headed for, perhaps you would like to join me?" 

The uni-banged boy could feel his heart thumping in excitement. Even though they both knew they needed each other, he didn't think he would be able to see the boy again until he was finished with his quest. But here he was offering, to take little old peasant Trowa with him. This would certainly be a change in the monotony he had experienced before. Quickly, he bowed and swung his hands in the direction of the road. "Shall we then?" 

Before Quatre could answer, the duo heard a pair of quarrelling voices in the distance. The prince's instincts took over and he got rid of any evidence of the recent campsite and grabbed Trowa to hide behind some shrubery. They hid quietly before the voices came into the clearing. 

"See husband? Thanks to _my_ superior knowledge of the cardinal directions, I was able to lead us out of the forest, not you!" 

"Had it not been me that solved the puzzle in the glyphs, we'd probably still be stuck by that bear cave that _you_ led us to!" 

Quatre and Trowa both sweatdropped at the sight. Seeing that the travellers were only civilians, Quatre found it appropriate to stop hiding and introduce himself. If they were lucky, maybe his charisma could help him get a horse for Trowa. So he slowly walked out of his hiding place, not wanting to startle them. 

He coughed discreetly at the couple as Trowa too started to walk away from behind the bushes and reveal himself. When the first cough didn't work at the squabbling couple, he cough again, louder this time. 

Two heads whipped around to face him, both yelling a resounding "WHAT?" before registering the blond's existence completely. 

"I was wondering if we could have one of your horses for my friend here. He is a bit weary from having walked the whole forest through and I cannot give him my horse since it is still too tired from a whole day's worth of tracking and cannot bear my weight for long. His own horse was killed by a man who attacked him last evening and we must rush to catch up with my brother." 

The boy on the horse was skeptical as he looked at the blond suspiciously, the blond beginning to sweat under his scrutiny. "And who may you be that I shall allow you to have my steed?" 

"I am Quatre. It's a pleasure to meet you." He bowed politely at the boy and his, apprently, wife, even though he looked the same age as himself. The prince brushed it off as a lack of knowledge on other cultures. 

"Of which nation do you herald from?" 

"From Soro, dear sir." 

"Hm...had we not found it necessary to head towards Soro, we would have accompanied you in order to regain our trusted steed, but it seems that we are heading in opposite directions. You may have my steed, when you are finished with him, release it near the Grey Woods and it shall find its own way home." 

"Thank you, dear sir. And would you pardon my asking, but where are you headed for in Soro?" 

"The circus. And then after that, the courts. We wanted to pay a visit to the princes of Soro before their coming of age ceremony." 

At this Trowa stiffened and Quatre let out a hearty laugh. Wufei looked at him annoyingly and narrowed his eyes warily at him. 

"And what, pray tell, may be so funny about that?" 

"Dear sir, the ceremony was yesterday! And if you're looking for the princes, then you should follow me instead of going to Soro!" 

Wufei ground his teeth in frustration. "See wife?! Had it not been for your stupidity we would have arrived yesterday _in time_ for the ceremony!" 

"Well, husband, it's still _your_ fault for not being able to control your wife!" 

"Why you...!" He was about to throw another insult and retort back at her but Quatre's cough caught his attention. The gears in his mind began to work again and it suddenly struck him. "You're the prince, aren't you?" 

Quatre smiled. "Glad you finally noticed. How many other people go by the name of Quatre in this world?" He stated it matter-of-factly and shrugged his shoulders for the effect. "Doesn't matter, I have to find Heero and I need a horse, if not for me, then for Trowa. He's too tired to even keep up with me if I were to walk through this forest quickly." He motioned towards the boy behind him. "Isn't that right, Trowa?" 

Upon turning around to address him, the blond noted that the boy was frozen in surprise. "I should have known!" Trowa got on his knees to bow to his prince as a sign of respect and honor. "I am sorry I did not recognize you before, but even though I hail from Soro, I rarely leave the circus to find out about political matters." 

The shorter boy rushed to his side and picked him up off the floor. "Trowa! After all that discussion last night about how our destinies are intertwined, you cannot still believe that titles matter in our connection!" 

"But, my ignorance..." Trowa shook his head. "It is unforgivable to be unable to recognize your own prince." 

"It does not matter to me. You are the one I see in my dreams, dreams that are very lucid, dreams that bind you to me in more complicated ways than we could possibly understand. You are now my equal and should not have to bow or kneel in order to show your friendship to me." 

Wufei dismounted from his horse and brought it over to the pair, intent on stopping this conversation. "If you don't mind Prince Quatre, we should get going. I suppose since there is no real reason to go to Soro anymore, we could accompany you to find Heero." 

"Aa, yes. Thank you..." 

"Wufei. Chang Wufei of the Dragon Clan. And that is my wife Meiran." He pointed at the girl on the other horse and she nodded back in recognition. "The circus is not as important as seeing Prince Heero, so we shall go where you go." 

Quatre nodded. "Please, no titles are necessary among friends. You must have travelled very quickly in order to get from the Stone Forest all the way to the Forest of Glyphs. Are you sure you can keep up with our pace?" 

"No worries. Our steeds are the finest in the world and should have no trouble travelling great distances over long periods of time." He motioned towards Quatre's horse. "What are you going to do about that beast though?" 

"He will come with me. We have bonded and I do not wish to leave him lost in the woods. Without me on him, he should be able to travel at the same pace." 

Wufei nodded. "Then I assume that you will be travelling on the same horse as your friend, Trowa?" 

The blond nodded in affirmation. "And I suppose you'd ride with your wife if she lets you on her horse?" 

The raven-haired youth chuckled at him. "You catch on fast." His visage changed to a more serious one almost immediately. "We must hurry if you wish to catch Heero. We all know how determined he can be." 

"Aa, we should be off now." Trowa mounted the horse as soon as the words left Quatre's lips and pulled the blond up with him. 

"Come, wife. I shall ride with you." 

And for once, Meiran did not protest. 

***

After a long morning of washing dishes, one that went well past the noon hours, Heero and Duo finally completed their task, and then some. The innkeeper gave them a few extra coins as well and Heero sold his horse to an old man for a few gold. He had decided that he was in no rush, as long as Duo was on his side, and they needed the extra money anyway. 

So down the road they went, leaving the small town in companiable silence and comfort. Occassionally, one would steal a glance at the other and then shirk back when the other had sensed his eyes on him. With no horse, no goal, and almost no money, the two decided to stop to fish at a nearby lake for rest, relaxation, and lunch. 

The lake was a bit off of the main road and was connected to a small river. The sparkling waters of the lake glistened in the afternoon sky, the hue of blue an absolutely magnificent sight to see. The braided boy smiled at the memories of such clear waters in his own homeland and ran off for a dive while Heero went to find some firewood and poles to make the rods out of. 

Upon his return, the prince had found the camp devoid of any human being, but many fishes were thrown onto the land beside the lake already. 

"Well, so much for fishing rods." He sat down and began to lay down a fire for himself and Duo. Where the boy was became a mysetery to the prince as he couldn't find him at all from where he stood. It shouldn't have been too hard since the area was devoid of any forestation or vegetation that was higher than his waist. "Duo! Where the hell are you?" 

At his voice, a brown head popped out from the water joyously, splashing Heero liberally so as well. "Heero, old buddy! Did you get the firewood?" 

The dark-haired boy nodded and pointed towards the fire, already made and ready for their lunch. "I didn't know you were good at catching fish." 

Duo laughed. "It's a thing you learn after living in Elleswood for so long. You know, what with the whole nation being surrounded by water. Besides, I always loved to swim and the fish seem to just come to me without me even trying. They seem pretty much willing to let me eat them all the time if I go down to look for food." 

Heero nodded. "So you have an affinity with fish? Or water?" 

"Eh?" The braided boy climbed out of the lake and wrung his hair dry. He quickly clambored into the bushes where his clothes were hidden and dressed quickly. "Well, I have no idea what you mean by that Heero, but..." He looked up at the prince to see him blushing and staring. "Uh...Heero? Gaea to Heero?" Duo made his way over to the prince, half-dressed, and waved his arms in front of him to get his attention. 

Snapping out of his trance and blushing even further in humiliation, Heero turned around and stalked towards the fire. "You should've told me that you were coming out of the water. And that you were naked." 

Again, the long-haired boy laughed and patted him on the back. "Heero, buddy, we're all boys! Besides, I would prefer nude over naked because naked means that you're ashamed of your body." 

Heero kept his head low and blushed even further, thinking to himself that there was definitely nothing on that boy's body that he could be ashamed of. In a low voice, he replied "Aa, sou ka." 

Duo returned to where his clothes were, finished dressing, and walked back towards the prince. "But to answer your previous question, I doubt I have an affinity with fish. Not _all_ fish like me. Just the cute little ones, the whales, and the ones that we eat a lot. But with water...well, I don't know. It could be." 

Heero smiled at this. "Have you ever heard of the legend of the elemental guardian?" 

"Sure. Every little kid on Gaea is told that story. When we were younger, back at the orphanage, all the kids would always pretend to be one. But we'd always get in trouble with the nuns when they found some kid being over-enthusiastic and violent." Duo smiled at Heero a genuine smile. "I always got to play the water guardian." 

"Did you know you have a mark on the back of your neck?" 

"What? I do? I never really noticed since my hair's always in the way." 

"Well, you do. And if I'm not mistaken, that's the symbol of the water guardian. At least I found one out of five." He sighed and began poking at the fire again with one hand, another holding a fish-on-a-stick over it. 

"What?! You've _got_ to be kidding right? I can't possibly be a legendary hero! Besides, there's no trouble in the world right now, why would _I_ be needed?" 

"It's just a precaution. I guess the power I was seeking are the five of you. As the crown prince, I can gather the five of the guardians and have them as my generals. It would ensure peace for Soro for as long as they live." 

Duo shook his head. "And how would you know how to find the rest of them? It's not like you can strip search all of them for the symbol of the guardian." 

"I suppose, but it's always worth a shot." 

"And how would we even _know_ where to begin looking for the others anyway?" 

"Well, I once overheard from one of the wizards back home say that my brother, Quatre, is probably the guardian of the wind. I went to spy on him when he was bathing once and I did see the mark on his inner right ankle. I don't think he's aware of it and only thinks that it's a birthmark. So that's one." Duo nodded and waited for Heero to continue. 

"I also overheard from the wizards once that I may be the guardian of fire, so I went in search of the symbol on my body, but found none. So I guess I'm not the guardian of fire, but that doesn't mean that I cannot find the five of them." 

"Hm...well, if you overheard it from a buncha royal wizards, it must be true! But not finding the mark is a bit weird..." The braided boy's face twisted in thought and lit up almost immediately. "I know! We can go to the palace of the high priestess and find out more about the legend! Maybe you're really the guardian of fire and you just forgot some important part of the legend or couldn't find the mark. There are blind spots on our body, you know." 

"Aa, sou ka. I suppose you are right. After lunch, we should set out." He lifted his head to regard the boy across from him. How he had been that intelligent while still being so child-like was beyond him. But Heero was not amused at the sight in front of him. "What are you laughing about now?" 

Gasping in between laughs, Duo choked out a reply. "Heero wa hentai desu! Peeking in on your half-brother! Naughty naughty Heero!" 

A vein twitched atop of his head and Heero smacked the boy on the squarely on the back of his head. "Urusai!" 

"Hentai hentai hentai!" Duo jumped away from the second hit, their lunch forgotten, and started taunting Heero again. "I didn't know you were into incest Heero!" 

"Kisama!" He leapt into the air and tackled Duo, pinning him to the ground and straddling him. "Now for some revenge!" He started to tickle the boy under him mercilessly, unyielding to his pleas in between loud bouts of laughter. 

"Well, this certainly is an odd position to find the prince in." A new voice from the road snapped Heero and Duo from their play and turned their heads in the voice's direction. 

"You!" Heero leapt off of Duo immediately and drew his sword. 

"Eh? Who's that?" 

The voice smiled and leapt off her horse. "Hilde Schebeiker of the Temple of the Rising Sun." 

Heero sneered at her. "What do you want?" 

"The high priestess has been looking for you. She has urgent matters that she would like to speak to you about." 

"Shimatta." He sheathed his blade and helped Duo up off the ground. "If I go, he comes with me." 

"Fine. Follow me." She tapped her horse gently to begin it's canter. 

The two boys began to walk behind her slowly, Heero giving Duo a look that told him to be wary of her. 

"Should we be worried? I mean, she's leading us where we wanted to go anyway." 

"Let's just put it this way, it's never good news when the high priestess sends someone after me." 

"Oh? Why's that?" 

"The damned lune wants to marry me." 

End Part III 

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